Copa America, European champions crowned... now for Reggae Boyz’s Gold Cup quest

OVER recent weeks, televised international football has taken centre stage for lovers of the sport — a welcome distraction as the demoralising novel coronavirus pandemic continues to take a toll.

The South American championships, Copa America — though disappointing in terms of overall standard for much of the tournament — ended in high drama on Saturday night with Argentina’s battling 1-0 win over their great rivals Brazil in the iconic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

Hard as it was for Brazilians to lose — especially on home soil — even they would not have begrudged the living legend, Mr Lionel Messi, his first major trophy at the international level.

Run almost simultaneously, the European Championships kept fans enthralled with the high technical quality of football.

As it turned out — arguably the most technical of all the teams — Italy defeated England in a penalty shoot-out aptly described by a commentator as “nail-biting, nail-shredding stuff” before the latter’s massive home crowd in London.

For Italy, it was their first major title since winning the Fifa World Cup in 2006. For England, it meant the long wait for a major title since taking the World Cup at home in 1966 continues.

So now, for the next two and a half weeks, Jamaicans will turn to the Concacaf Gold Cup being hosted by the United States. Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz make their entrance today against Suriname with high hopes that their squad — talented at least on paper — will make a big impression.

The Jamaicans have never won the Gold Cup but have a proud history in the 30-year-old competition, including reaching finals against Mexico and the United States in 2015 and 2017.

A feature of the Reggae Boyz since the historic World Cup qualifying campaign pre-1998 has been the contribution of overseas-born and bred players of Jamaican ancestry. Such players carry the mantle of Messrs Fitzroy Simpson, Deon Burton and Paul Hall, who played integral roles alongside local amateur and semi-pro players among them current coach, the inspirational Mr Theodore “Tappa” Whitmore, as Jamaica — for the first and only time — qualified for a World Cup finals tournament.

In a sense, football has become a symbol of the significant place for the Diaspora in Jamaica’s development.

Close to half of the current 23-man squad currently in the United States for this Gold Cup are English-born and bred. How they blend with home-bred players — most of whom play professionally in North America — will be, as always, something to watch.

For sure, as Reggae Boyz Captain Mr Andre Blake indicated, willingness to do the hard work will be pivotal.

Said Mr Blake: “[T]hat’s part of my job, and the job of the coaching staff, to make sure the players are reminded that it’s not all about talent, but going out there and [doing] the hard work.”

In football, as in every other aspect of life, there is no substitute for hard work.

We believe we speak for all well-thinking Jamaicans in wishing the Reggae Boyz all that’s good in this tournament and in the months ahead as they seek once more to repeat the success of 1998.

Except for the views expressed in the column above, the articles published on this page do not necessarily represent the views of the Jamaica Observer.